Door-latch.



J. DRZE-WIECKI.

Door; LATCH. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30. |915.

Patented May 23, 1916.

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JOSEPH DRZEWIECKI, 0F DTROIT, MICHIGAN.

:noon-LATCH.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 30, 1915. Serial No. 53,284.

To all wit-0m t may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH DRZEWIECKI, a

pecially designed for automobile doors, andl the primary object of my invention is to pr vide a simple, durable and inexpensive lat h which may be concealed in a door frame or door with the actuating mechanism thereof in proximity' to the upper edge of the door, whereby it mayy be easily manipulated to release the door, the actuating mechanismy visible being in the form of a button which presents a neat appearance in connection with an auto-mobile door and obviates the necessity of using exposed protruding handles or cranks as is the common practice;

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide a door latch which automatically s ej. j

lower end of the pivot pin 13, between the cures a door, when closed, the principal part of the latch being in -the form of a semicylindrical shell disposed whereby an edge thereof rides into engagement with a keeper and another edge engages a frame or body projection, thus holding the door until the keeper is shifted to allow the shell to move away from the projection. v

The mechanical construction by which I attain the above and other objects will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein# l Figure 11s a perspectlve view of a p ortlon of a door frame provided with a latch 1n accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective View o-f -a detached latch; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of a door frame showing a portion of the operating mechanism of the latch keeper in plan; Fig. 4 is 'a similar view illustrating a modified form of the operating mechanism of a latch keeper, and'.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a door in a closed pos'tion relative to aportion of an automobile body.

In the drawing,1 denotes a portion of an automobile body` having a doorway 2 adapted to be closed by a door 3.

4 denotes a plate secured in the doorway Patented May 23, 1916.

2 and on the side of the automobile body 1,

said plate having a projection 5 with an edge thereof beveled, as at 6.

7 denotes a recess in the door body or frame 3 and closing said recess is an angle strike plate'8 provided with communicating openings 9 and 10, said openings providing clearance for the projection 5 when the door 3 is swung tol a closed position. y

' 11` and 12 denote horizontally disposed corner plates secured to the inner side of the angle strike plate 8, at the upperand lower -ends of the .openings 9 and 10. hese 'corner plates may be secured to the angle strike .plate by spot brazing or in any suitable manner.

13 denotes a'vertically disposed pivot pin journaled 1n the lorner plates 11 and 12. Mounted o-n the pi ot pin 13 is a vertically disposed yoke 14 and the ends of said yoke `are connected by ay Senn-cylindrical shell 15, which has the longitudinal edges 16 and 17 thereof equi-distant relative to the yoke 14,

as best shown in Fig. 5. l

18 denotes a' coiled spring encircling the corner plate 12a-nd the lower end of the yoke 14', said spring having .one end thereof bearing against the angle strike plate8 and the opposite end thereof connected to the yoke, as'at 19. This spring is adapted to maintain the yoke 14 normally protruding into the opening 10 of the angle strike plate, whereby it will impinge the projection 5, when the door is closed, and partially rotate the Pivot pin 13 to p'lacethe edge 17 of the shell- 15 in engagement with the projection 5.

20 denotes a keeper rod journaled in the corner plate 11 and extending' upwardly through a groove 21 in the inner side of the door 'frame or body 3, as best, shown in Fig. 1. The lower endl of the keeper ,rod 20 has a hook shaped keeper 22, adapted to engage the edge 16 of the -shell 15 and hold4 said shell in engagement with the projection 5 of the automobile body, thereby preventing the door 3 from being opened until the keeper rod 20 is rocked; The upper end of the keeper rod- 20 extends into a' recess 23 .at the upper edge of the door frame' or body 3. said keeper rod terminating in a crank '24y having a button 25 protruding from an escutcheon plate 26 closing the recess 23. Within the recess 23 is a coinpression spring 27 engaging the crank 24.

t0 hold `the keeper 22 1n engagement with j theshell 1,5. j

When closing the door, the yoke 14 e'ncounters the projection 5, as heretofore stated, turning the shell 15 until the keeper l22 engages the edge 16 of `said shell, then the door is held in a closedl position, until.

the button 25l is pressed to swing the keeper 22 to one side and allow the spring 18'to restore the shell 15 to normal position.

The beveled edge or endf16 of the projec-' .door opposite the `button,25 consequently the keeper can be shifted from the outer or inner slide of an automobile, particularly a limousine.

' It is thought that the vutility of my improved door latch Will be apparent without further description, and While in the draw! ing there is illustrated a preferred embodi-y ment of my invention, it is to be understood that the structuralelements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall Within the scope of the Vappended claims.

What clain'ifis:- v,1. A door latch comprising a projection adapted fory attachment to an automobile 'body in the doorway thereof, an angle strike plate adapted forattachment to a doorvand.

provided with openings, a pivoted yoke supported by said strike plate and adapted to impinge Said projection, a shell carried lby said yokeA in the openings of said angle strike plate andvadapted to engage saidl projection and hold they door closed, and va-l keeper adapted. for operation atthe' upper edge of the door to engage saioll shell and maintain said shell in engagement with said projection.

42. A door latch comprising astationaiy projection, an angle strike plate adapted'for' attachment to a door, a pivoted` yoke sup`- ported from said strike plate and adapted to impinge said projection, a shell carried by said yoke and adapted to engage said projection, a keeper adapted to engage said shell and maintain said shell in engagement with said projection, .andmeans :connected -to said yoke adapted to move said shell out of engagement with said projection when said shell isreleased by'said keeper. l

In testimony ywhereof I affix my 'signature in",pre'sence of two` witnesses. 'j JOSEPH DRZE-WIECKI.

Witnesses:

- KARL H, BUTLER,

ANNA M. Donk. 

